Water Polo Wins 2 of 4 Games at Princeton Invitational

Freshman Kale Rogers

Sep 09, 2012

MERCER COUNTY, N.J. - MIT's water polo team traveled to New Jersey on Saturday to take part in the Princeton Invitational, a two-day tournament that took place at Princeton University. The team returned home on Sunday with a 2-2 record, falling to Princeton (14-8) and California (17-4) but defeating George Washington (13-6) and No. 2 ranked Johns Hopkins (13-11).

In the first game against Princeton, freshman Kale Rogers (Newberg, Ore.) led the Engineers by scoring five of the eight goals. Freshman Matthew Orton (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) and juniors Andrew Dorne (Irvine, Calif.) and Craig Cheney (Sherwood, Ore.) each scored a goal but it was not enough to beat host Princeton.

Against George Washington later that day, Rogers, once again, was a key player, scoring six goals before the end of the third quarter. Fellow freshmen Ory Tasman (Orlando, Fla.) and Zach Nelson (La Jolla, Calif.) scored two goals apiece, the other three being scored by Cheney, Orton and Dorne. After the first quarter, when the two teams were tied 3-3, the Engineers began outscoring the Colonials and only got stronger as the game continued.

The next day, MIT started the morning off with a loss against the University of California but made a comeback in a close game against Div. III No. 2 ranked Johns Hopkins later in the day. Rogers tallied another six goals, bringing his weekend total to 19. Cheney and sophomore Jack Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.) both amassed one goal and Tasman added five more.

The Engineers will return to action with the first of four home games, starting on Friday, Sept. 14 when they host Mercyhurst College at 6:00 p.m.